Thursday, October 31, 2013

Devil In My Arms by Samantha Kane

Devil In My Arms opens with Eleanor Enderby escaping her cruel husband to her sister Harriet's house.  I found the opening paragraph confusing and that I had missed some important information.  I attempted to read past the first two chapters, but couldn't.  This book lost my interest before it could gain it.

I looked on GoodReads and found this is the third in a series.  I have read books from the middle of a series and wasn't aware they were part of a series until I looked for more books by the author.  This book made me feel like I was missing something.

If you are going to read this book, read the others  prior!

I give this book one star.

I received this book from NetGalley as an Advanced Reader Copy.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Reforming the Rogue by Donna Lea Simpson

This novella is a Classic Regency.  It involves Cederic Barton, Earl of Cairngrove, his brother Dominic, Jessica Landry (Cederic's mistress) and Linnet Pelham, her sister.  Dominic has attempted to talk his brother out of marrying his mistress and it failed.  It is not socially expectable for a peer to marry his mistress.   He takes matters into his own hands and goes to Jessica's house to convince her not to marry his brother.  Dominic meets Linnet who has recently lost her job as a school mistress.

This is a true Regency and I normally don't read Regency.  I thought this book was entertaining and I liked how spunky Linnet is.   This book gives two HEA 's. It was a quick read at 88 pages on my Nook.   I give it  3.5 stars.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Hunting the Hero by Heather Boyd

This isn't the typical Regency.  The novel opens with the lonely widower Constantine, Earl of Grayling entering a bordello.  His wife died two years ago in childbirth.  Constantine meets the first woman in those two years that stirs his blood, Calista.  Calista is an alias for Meredith Clark, and as we read further, we discover that Meredith Clark is an alias too.   Meredith has suffered trauma in her past and is hiding from her family, but she is content in her life.  Constantine develops feelings for Calista and buys her evenings for an entire week.  He asks her to be his mistress and when she refuses, the governess for his three daughters.  Constantine's friend Arabella, Lady Farnsworth, has seen happier in the two years since his wife died and tracks down Meredith.  She convinces Meredith to be the governess for the three girls.  Toward the end, we discover Meredith's real name and what had happened to her.

This is the fourth book in a series.  Heather Boyd did a great job making the reader feel like they weren't reading part of a series.  I thoroughly enjoyed the book and now want to read the other three novels.

The only puzzling thing is how the title fits with the book.

I give this book five out of five stars.

I received this book as an Advanced Reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

The Pirate Lady by Lynsay Sands

I wanted to read something light and with humor.   The Pirate Lady by Lynsay Sands fit the bill.  The plot was outlandish and quite fun.

Valoree Ainsley has been raised by her brother, Jeremy, on his privateer ship.  Jeremy was a privateer so he could get enough money to repair their family estate that their guardian had destroyed.  (It was odd that Valoree says they liked their guardian and the guardian had cared for them, but the guardian did everything in his power to take everything of value and strip the land because it was his right as their guardian.). When Jeremy was killed by a Spanish pirate, Valoree took over his mission.  Unfortunately, when he was killed, he had taken a small crew to meet with he King's agent to give him the King's share.  The other members didn't know who the agent was, so each time they captured a pirate ship, they put the King's portion aside.  Valoree, seen covered in her brothers blood was taken by one of the pirates in the ship they just captured as a ghost and was called Back From The Dead Red.  Fast-forward several years.   Now, Valoree has the money to repair her estate and is going to meet with her brother's lawyer.  Lord Daniel Thurborne is already in the lawyers office when Valoree gets there for her appointment.  (The scene prior when Valoree and her crew go to the dressmaker is hilarious!   It introduces us to  "Aunt" Meg that everyone assumes is a drunken former prostitute, but has a much bigger back story.)

At the lawyers office Valoree discovers she has something in common with the annoying Lord Daniel.   She must be married and pregnant or have had a baby by age twenty five.  AND, her husband must be of noble birth.   As Valoree tells the lawyer, that is in less than nine months!

The remainder of the book is the adventures and mishaps of the courtship of Valoree and Daniel.  It was a comedy of errors and had me laughing throughout the book.  I loved Valoree's loyal pirate crew.

This book rates 4.5

Monday, October 21, 2013

The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh by Ella Quinn

Wow! Lately, I have been disappointed by the second book in a series.  I received  "The Secret Life of Miss Anna Marsh " as an advance from NetGalley.  I started reading and did not put it down.  I fell in love with spirited Anna Marsh and the man she has loved since childhood, Sebastian, Lord Rutherford.  Sebastian and Anna's brother Harry are best friends that live on neighboring estates.  They are about ten years older than Anna.  Harry put Anna in charge of the local smuggling ring he ran when he left England on a spy mission and was reported killed in action.  Anna has to return home to deal with the smuggling ring (part of a sub-plot) and Sebastian escorts her home via the wedding of their mutual friends Phoebe and Marcus from Ella Quinn's first novel.

It takes Sebastian a while to convince Anna he loves her and wants to marry him after she overhears a  conversation between Sebastian and Marcus on the type of woman Sebastian wants to marry.  The chase was a delight.   Throw in the sub plot of Harry returning from the dead with amnesia and his travels back to his family.

This was an entertaining romance.  Very well written.

I received an ARC ( Advanced Reader Copy) of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you for the opportunity!

When Harry Met Molly by Kierian Kramer

The title is catchy, but somewhat inaccurate.  Lord Harry Traemore has known Lady Mary "Molly" Fairbanks since birth.  Harry is the second son of a Duke.  His older brother and Molly's older sister marry when Molly is 13.  Molly had a crush on Harry's brother and at a Christmas dinner prior to the marriage Molly recites a poem accusing Harry of kissing her sister (using other names, of course).  Chaos ensues.  The Duke sends Harry off to the army (where he ends up in disgrace over an officer's wife) and Molly is sent to the finishing school from hell.  Fast forward many years.  Poor Molly has been her aunt's companion and never had a season.  She is eloping to Gretna Green with her father's assistant when Harry and his mistress enter the inn where they are eating.  Harry is on the way to host a week long party at his hinting box for Prinny's Impossible Bachelors.  They are having a mistress contest where the Bachelor whose mistress wins doesn't have to get married and can not have match making mama's throw their daughters at them for a year.  The looser has to marry the woman their club chooses.  Molly's fiancée runs away with Harry's mistress and Harry needs a replacement.  He convinces Molly to be his pretend mistress.  If Molly wins, Harry will find her a husband.  In this book we meet the other "Impossible Bachelors".

This is the first book in a series of three.  I had read "Dukes to The Left, Princes to The Right" (book 2) and "Cloudy With a Chance of Marriage" (book 3) previously.  Of the three, "When Harry Met Molly" is my favorite.  Molly's adventures as a fake mistress are funny and heart warming.   I give it five out of five stars.

In my opinion, it was the best of the three books.  Each book can be read on its own (as I read the second one first because my library does a bad job linking series.). The third book was just blah and I couldn't finish it.   I have re read "Dukes" several times and still like it.  I may go back and give "Cloudy" another chance now.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Seduction of Lady Phoebe by Ella Quinn

At this time B&N has this book available for free.  I would have paid for this book.  I always like finding new authors and was delighted with Ella Quinn.

Lord Marcus was a wild 20 year old man that was being sent to Jamaica to supervise his family's plantation due to being quite wild.  At the last house party he attended, he met Lady Phoebe and instantly fell in love.  He made an ass out of himself by getting drunk and attempting to propose to her.  Marcus got a well deserved right hook to the nose and was knocked to the floor by Phoebe.  Fast forward eight years.  Phoebe has refused any of her suitors and hasn't forgiven poor Marcus.  The remainder of the story is how Marcus got Phoebe to forgive him as he is still madly in love with her and has totally reformed his character to be worthy of her.

I would give this book five stars except for the Phoebe's creepy stalker.  I felt the plot could have done without him.  I give this book four stars.

The Merry Widow by Koko Brown

Phillipa Jones is quite an unusual Victorian woman.  She actually liked sex with her husband and didn't have to "lie back and think of England".  She had helped her husband run their shipping company and has been running it in the three years since his death.  Reginald, Viscount Bellomont is pestering Phillipa to sell the shipping company.  (Should I mention that Reggie is known as the "Viscount of Equine"?)  Poor Phillipa (who did enjoy the marriage bed) is lonely so she has arranged via a Madam for a young man to visit her at her house.  (Can you see what is next?)  Reggie knocks on the horny Widow Jones's door before her hired lover does.  Her staff assumes that Reggie is the young stud and sends him to Phillipa's room.  Reggie does what any red blooded male would do. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and wish it was longer.  Since this is Koko Brown's first Victorian Erotic Romance, I hope she revises it and adds a lot more length to it.  Some things are too good to be this short!



Harlequin

The first romances I picked up at a too young age were Harlequin.   The standard, white covered Harlequin.  At that time, if they kissed at the end of the book, you were lucky.  I abandoned Harlequins in favor of NOVELS.  I started reading Johanna Lindsay, LaVyrle Spencer and Rebecca Brandewyne. 

Now, I am finding that I am reading the Harlequins again. They are a nice, quick read.  Something to read between NOVELS or if I have been on hold for ten weeks for the book I wanted from the library.